Poland's poultry production up 6% in H1 2013

Poland's poultry production increased by 6% to 793,000 t in the first half of 2013, according to a report released by the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics (IERiGZ).

About 64.8% of the Polish production was earmarked for the domestic market, while the remaining 35.2%, or 279,000 t, was intended for export sales. The European Union is currently the largest market for Poland's poultry, with as much as 90% of the country's production sold in its member states. Turkey meat accounts for about 15% of the country's total poultry production.

From January to June 2013, Poland imported about 20,000 t of poultry. The 534,000 t sold in the Polish market represented an increase of 3.7% over the same period a year earlier, according to data released by the Institute. Moreover, in the second half of 2013, the report forecasts that Poland's poultry production will increase further by 7% compared with the same period last year.

For the first half of 2014, the Institute's report forecasts a 7.5% increase in the country's poultry production which is expected to reach about 850,000 t.

The rise in poultry consumption in Poland is accompanied by a continuing decline in pork consumption which still remains the country's most popular meat, according to data from the country's Central Statistical Office (GUS). In 2012, an average Pole consumed about 26.1 kg of poultry, up 4.4% over 2011, and 39.2 kg of pork, a decrease of 7.8%.

Consumption of beef, at about 1.6kg per person, was down 23.8% compared with 2011. In total, an average Pole consumed some 71 kg of meat in 2012, which represented a decrease of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to the GUS.

Should the Institute's forecast for 2014 prove to be correct, next year, an average Pole will consume 27.5 kg of poultry, an increase of 2% compared with 2013.